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Sandbox Savannah

Apr 16, 20138,506 views
Nature Play
Earth Day Activities : Sandbox Savannah Save
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by TurkeyMom in Nature Play

Ages2–6 yrs
Prep40 min
Activity45 min
Leveleasy
MessHigh
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Grow a mini grassland of mustard and fenugreek in a soil-filled sandbox over about two weeks. Then add plastic African animals for small world play and storytelling. It combines gardening and pretend play for Earth Day.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Seeds and small plastic animals are choking hazards. Supervise toddlers closely and keep loose seeds out of reach.
  • The seeds, sprouts and soil in the play bin are not food. Don't let kids eat them.
  • Wash hands after handling soil. Gardening gloves are a good idea, as shown in the photos.
  • Empty the watering-hole dish after play so standing water doesn't sit in the bin.

Before the kids arrive

  • About 2 weeks before play: add soil to the sandbox and shape it into a terrain of sorts.
  • Sow fenugreek and mustard seeds and spray with water.
  • Keep the soil moist and in shade for about 2 weeks until the greenery is lush. Kids can help tend it daily.

Steps

  1. Fill the sandbox with dirt and shape a terrain of hills and flat spots.

  2. Sprinkle fenugreek and mustard seeds over the soil and pat them in gently.

  3. Spray the seeds with water and keep the soil moist and in shade.

  4. Check and water every day for about 2 weeks until you have lush greenery.

  5. Sink a shallow lid of water into the soil as a watering hole and add a rock for Pride Rock.

  6. Set out a basket of African animals next to the savannah as an invitation to play.

  7. Hide animals in the grass and act out scenes, like a lion-cheetah face off or a cheetah cub hiding.

  8. Make up a story for your savannah and let the animals roam, hunt and rest.

Tips

  • Keep the soil moist and in shade. After 2 weeks of tending and a few muggy days we had lush greenery.from the author
  • Mustards and fenugreek seeds are so easy to grow that it is perfect for younger kids.from the author
  • Growing plants indoors or in a container on your patio gives kids something to expect and watch excitedly, and it teaches responsibility.from the author
  • The homegrown greenery changed our usual wildlife play scene. Suddenly the animals had a place to hide, and the pretend play went on for a long time.from the author
  • Watching 'African Cats', 'The Last Lions' and 'Lion King' beforehand gave my preschooler a whole storyline. She retold the documentary and mixed in scenes from the movies.from the author
  • Some kids get picky about their scenes. My 4 year old wanted to play all by herself so I wouldn't mess up her Savannah.from the author

Make it your own

  • Grow mustard in a foil pan as a toddler-sized mini savannah.
  • Start a fenugreek garden on its own as an Earth Day activity.
  • Try other small world setups in the greenery: a farm, park, temple or cricket field, as the author did growing up for Golu/Dussehra.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · April 2013
growing fenugreek and mustards
We added soil to our sandbox and prepared the dirt by creating a terrain of sorts. Then we sowed the fenugreek and mustard seeds and sprayed some water.
1 / 10

Sandbox Savannah: the original post

Growing mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds indoors was a part of growing up. Every year for golu/dussherah we did a small world setup ( farm, park, temple, cricket- the game not the insect etc). This was in addition to the main event, the display of the deities. Helpful links at the end of the post. Armed with that background, our recent viewing of “African Cats”, “The Last Lions” and of course “Lion King” innumerable number of times, with Earth Day coming up and with my long standing affection for indoor mustard plants, this earth day activity came naturally.

So let’s bring nature indoors and combine a small dose of African Savannah for Earth Day. Please be prepared for an image heavy post. This one was way too much fun for the kids and my 4 year old said ” Mom, I want to play with this all by myself because you might mess up my Savannah scene”. She gets a little picky when she is creating animals scenes.

  • Dirt
  • Fenugreek seeds
  • Mustard Seeds/ any quick growing seed
  • Plastic animals

We added soil to our “sand”box and prepared the dirt by creating a terrain of sorts. Then we sowed the seeds and sprayed some water and within 2 weeks we had lush greenery. Keep the soil moist and in shade.

growing fenugreek and mustards

Growing herbs or any plants indoors or in a container on your patio by itself is a great earth day activity rather any day activity for kids. It gives them something to expect, watch excitedly and also teaches responsibility. After 2 weeks of tending and a few muggy days we had this lush greenery.

earth day activities with mustard

We also grew some more mustard plants in a tin foil just for my toddler. Mustards and fenugreek seeds are so easy to grow that it is perfect for younger kids. Why not start a fenugreek garden as an earth day activity for kids?

earth day activities for toddlers

Our invitation to create an African animals scene with homegrown mustards and fenugreeks. Combine animals with greenery- earth day activities can’t get easier than this!

5

After that it was all my kids and their imagination. I heard so many ideas and words from all the movies we watched I was almost thinking ” Is my kid learning more from TV than any other means?” Have you watched African Cats? If you have a nature lover, you should. We have a Lion-cheetah face off ( they may look like they are kissing though) with the mom cheetah hiding her cub in the grasslands. Ok that’s a baby jaguar but we are pretending that’s a cheetah cub. lion cheetah fight small world play I noticed that my preschooler pretty much retold the entire wildlife documentary and mixed up good old Lion King and a few scenes from “The Last Lions” and created a wonderfully whole new story line to go along with her small world play. Here are a couple of hippos hanging out in a watering hole..

We also had a Lion King on Pride Rock.

lion earth day activities play

lions zebra small world It is not Africa until some one has a wildebeest for lunch. Sorry for the “graphic” image.

small world play lions and wildebeest

The pretend play session extending for a long time and I owe it all to our homegrown greenery. It just changed our usual wildlife play scene. Suddenly the animals had a place to hide,

kids activities small world for earth day

This Earth day activity turned small world play has tremendous potential.

playing on earth day activities This is how we grew our own mustards and fenugreek and used them in play.

earth day activities with animals

Thanks for reading

Mustard Seeds we used

Growing Indian mustard

More about fenugreek

What on earth is Dusshera/Golu?

Small world setup as a part of a religious festival

Links to the SAFARI toobs. The animal figurines are one of the toy purchases I never ever will regret!

What readers say

💬 1 comments

Tried it?

Reviewed before it appears. No links, and please no children's names.

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  1. Shaunna (@Shaunna_FFL) · Apr 2013

    I love all of the activities you incorporated into this small world. This week’s theme for the Discover and Explore linky is Earth Day. I’d love for you to come share this idea if you are interested.

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